Abizaid Takes Full Responsibility for Everything That Happened Under His Command at Abu Ghraib Prison

Transcription

1 CNN LIVE TODAY Abizaid Takes Full Responsibility for Everything That Happened Under His Command at Abu Ghraib Prison Aired May 19, :30 ET THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED. DARYN KAGAN, CNN ANCHOR: Let's take you to New London, Connecticut. Vice President Dick Cheney is the commencement speaker at today's Coast Guard academy graduation ceremony. Let's listen in. (JOINED IN PROGRESS) DICK CHENEY, VICE PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES:... safety of those ports and of the sea where it approaches to our country are essential to national security and to our economic security. Defending against infiltration and attack has required the most comprehensive reorganization of the federal government since the end of World War II with the creation of the Department of Homeland Security. In a free country, especially a vast, continental democracy like ours, there's no such thing as perfect security. But this new department allows us to coordinate our defenses in a systemic way, analyzing threats, guarding our borders and airports, protecting critical infrastructure, and coordinating the response of the nation to any future emergency. And the armed service at the center of that department is the United States Coast Guard. The attacks on our country increased the Coast Guard's homeland security responsibilities dramatically, prompting rapid growth in the capabilities and the size of the service. As the stewards of this new responsibilities, the officers of class of 2004 will protect our nation in new and innovative ways. As you rise through the ranks of the post-9/11 Coast Guard, you will command the burgeoning fleet of 87-foot coastal patrol boats, surge in the high-speed Cyclone class patrol craft transferred from the Navy, act as sea marshals, exporting high-risk vessels to port, man maritime safety and security team to protect our harbor, pilot armed helicopters safeguarding critical infrastructure, deploy with port security units to support worldwide military operations, oversee up to 700 smaller, faster, response boats being add to the Coast Guard inventory. And gain the benefits of cutting edge command and control aircraft and cutter technologies that will be generated by the Deep Water Program.

2 Deep Water will introduce the replacement or modernization of up to 90 cutters, 200 aircraft and UAVs and state of the art communications and logistical support systems that dramatically increase the Coast Guard's control over the approaches to our nation. KAGAN: (UNINTELLIGIBLE) to Vice President Dick Cheney. He is the commencement speaker today at the Coast Guard academy in New London, Connecticut. We do have word from the Associated Press that there are about 35 protesters outside the gate there protesting the treatment of prisoners at Abu Ghraib Prison. And of course that is topic in Washington, D.C. today. The three top U.S. military commanders are testifying on Capitol Hill about the Iraqi prisoner abuse scandal. Let's get more on that now from our Pentagon correspondent Barbara Starr -- Barbara. BARBARA STARR, CNN PENTAGON CORRESPONDENT: Good morning to you, Daryn. Well those top generals in the hot seat now for just over three hours before the Senate Armed Services Committee. They were all sworn in this morning, raising their hand, and then the hearing began. Now, General John Abizaid, the head of the U.S. Central Command, quite quickly moved right to the point, saying, as top commander of U.S. forces in the Middle East, he took full responsibility for everything that happened under his command. But then, well into the hearing, a very interesting exchange with the Republican senator from South Carolina, Lindsey Graham, between him and General Abizaid. Let's have a listen. (BEGIN VIDEO CLIP) SEN. LINDSEY GRAHAM (R), SOUTH CAROLINA: How did it happen so long and so deep and we not know? GEN. JOHN ABIZAID, CENTCOM COMMANDER: Well, I think there are failures in people doing their duty. There are failures in systems. And we should have known and we should have uncovered it and taken action before it got to the point that it got to. (END VIDEO CLIP) STARR: Now, what General Abizaid, of course, is talking about is the very disturbing criminal abuse that has been seen in those pictures at Abu Ghraib. But he went further, Daryn. He talked about the fact that so many Army

3 procedures and doctrine and policies in his view are out of date about the whole issue of detention operations. He said this is the kind of thing that needs to be looked at quite closely. These type of operations have not been done by the Army on this scale for nearly 50 years, since World War II of course. And he said there are a lot of problems that led to a lot of confusion throughout the system. General Abizaid also taking the opportunity to remind senators about the progress of the war in Iraq and the fact that transition to Iraqi sovereignty now just days away. He said it's very important that as quickly as possible there be some decisions about which Iraqis are going to take over on June Daryn. KAGAN: Barbara, So we hear General Abizaid say today that he takes full responsibility. We've heard the defense secretary say the same thing. But on this day when we're seeing the first court-martial take place in Baghdad, is there a sense there at the Pentagon that truly how far up the chain of command the consequences will fall in this? STARR: That is of course the unanswered question because there are a number of investigations still going on. It is worth remembering that the Army CID division, the Criminal Investigation Division, is still looking at additional people. They believe there are people who knew of the abuse who didn't report it. That would be a violation of military legal justice proceedings. They believe there are other people who were involved. They are still looking at any number of people. And General Abizaid and General Ricardo Sanchez, who is also testifying this morning, made the very strong point that they may go back and revisit some of the cases that have been handled administratively. Some of those people may still be open to criminal prosecution by the military. The Army's inspector general is still looking at the situation. And there is still a report about, quote, "questionable intelligence practices." That's being done by the head of Army intelligence. So there's an awful lot still hanging out there, still waiting for final decisions -- Daryn. KAGAN: Barbara Starr at the Pentagon, thank you. Well, speaking of that court-martial, now that Specialist Jeremy Sivits has been sentence for his role in the prison abuse scandal, we're taking a closer look at the court-martial process, also what is ahead. Our Sean Callebs is live in Washington -- Sean. (BEGIN VIDEOTAPE) SEAN CALLEBS, CNN CORRESPONDENT: The Battle of the Bulge, one of the

4 proudest moments in U.S. military history, also fueled one of its most controversial. Private Edward Slogan (ph) was tried in a general court-martial for fleeing the battle, convicted, and became the only U.S. soldier executed for desertion in World War II. A general court-martial is akin to a civilian felony trial, the most serious in the U.S. military, and the only proceedings that can lead to the death penalty. But there is also a trial with less serious consequences called a special courtmartial. THOMAS MORRISON, GEORGE WASHINGTON UNIV. LAW: In the military system, it's set that the maximum punishment from a special court- martial is limit to one year in confinement, two-thirds pay for a year, and reduction in rank, and a bad conduct discharge. CALLEBS: Specialist Jeremy Sivits is facing a special court- martial for his alleged role in abuses the Abu Ghraib Prison. Even though it is equivalent to a civilian misdemeanor charge, a conviction will follow the guilty. KATHRYN CLUNE, FMR. NAVY DEFENSE ATTY.: If you have a bad conduct charge as an enlisted member, you're going to have a hard time getting a job. You're not going to work for the federal government. You're going to have a lot of repercussions about that punitive discharge. CALLEBS: And Clune should know. Five years ago, as a Navy lieutenant, she defended two U.S. Marine aviators accused of cutting a gondola cable while on maneuvers near Aviano, Italy, sending 20 people crashing to their deaths. They were acquitted of the most serious charges, but still dismissed from the military after being convicted of obstruction. She can understand what's running through the minds of the seven soldiers facing court-martial in Baghdad. CLUNE: I mean, when you know that you're watching the commander in chief already discussing guilt and innocence, or that he's discussed it with your actions, and there's photographs, I mean, obviously, you have to be a little intimidated. CALLEBS: She says, if it seem like the military justice system is moving quickly for the accused in Baghdad, that's the way a court- martial work. Within 120 days of the start of the investigation, if there is no reason for a delay, the trial must begin. (END VIDEOTAPE)

5 CALLEBS: A special court-martial can begin with as few as three jury members. A general court martial need at least five jurors. Another difference between a civilian trial, a guilty verdict, doesn't have to be unanimous, rather only a twothirds majority is needed to convict -- Daryn. KAGAN: Sean Callebs in Washington. One interesting aspect of today's court-martial, Arab journalists were watching in that military courtroom as Specialist Jeremy Sivits was sentenced to a year for abusing Iraqi prisoners. Let's bring in our senior editor for Arab affairs, Octavia Nasr, to talk about how the Arab world and how the Arab media is reporting the story. Good morning. OCTAVIA NASR, SR. EDITOR, ARAB AFFAIRS: Good morning, Daryn. Thank you. They are reporting it. It was supposed to be high up on their agenda today, but Gaza took over the latest Israeli assault on Palestinian refugee camps, and rafah (ph) took over -- that's the story that they're covering wall to wall sort of. They're still having a report here, a voice over there, on the court-martial, but it's definitely not the story that the U.S. intended for it to be on Arab networks. KAGAN: Now, I know some people are at home, watching it, going, now how -- American viewers say this is such a big deal. How can what happened in Gaza be a bigger story? And yet one key difference, just in terms of reporting the news, the picture that we've seen coming out of Gaza, there are no picture coming out of the court-martial, because no cameras were allowed into this hearing. NASR: And that's what one executive at an Arab network told me. He said, as soon as they announced that no cameras are allowed in the courtroom that killed the story for us. He said what's the use of a reporter sitting there in a courtroom without a camera. So a lot of the al Jazeera, both of them are reporting, also Abu Dhabi TV, and LBC, they're reporting on the story, using the sketches that were provided by the U.S., but that's it. So for them, the bigger story is -- first of all, if they could take cameras inside the courtroom, that would have made that story a little bit bigger. But also, Gaza is a very important story on Arab networks. That's really at the heart of the coverage that is not going to stop. You know, we hear this expression, winning the hearts and minds of the Arab world, and you know, we've seen U.S. officials go on Arab television, in order to win those hearts and mind of the Arab world. But expert tell us all the time, forget winning the hearts and minds of the Arab world.

6 KAGAN: When you see pictures like that. NASR: Because yes, they see the U.S. as standing on the side of Israel in this conflict. KAGAN: I do want to ask you one other question here. There are 34 news organizations inside this court-martial, from what I see, nine Arab newspapers, two Arab television networks, perhaps unimpressed. And yet, I have to think, from within the Arab world, they don't see something like this happening in their countries. KAGAN: No, they don't, and... NASR: And so should that not be an impressive display of democracy and justice? KAGAN: Absolutely. And they did show it. Yesterday, for example, I was monitoring they're reporting ahead of the court- martial. And one of the things they were saying, you heard words like a modest courtroom, but a big event, a lesson in U.S. democracy and U.S. courtroom system. So I think the anticipation was much bigger than what they got at the end of the day. And like I said, this executive telling me, as soon as they took the camera out of the story, that killed my story for me. These are people that depend a lot on cameras. Remember, these guys were criticized for fabricating stories. The U.S. criticized them for fabricating stories, making stories up. So now they're saying I want that camera in the courtroom, because that's what I'm going to report, what the camera is going to see. I'm not going to rely on a human being just describing the emotions and the whole process. NASR: Especially as we saw those images in the first place that brought this really to the attention of the world. And when we heard military officials explain that they do not allow cameras in court- martials, so just sticking to their regular procedure. Octavia, thanks for that. Octavia Nasr, appreciate your insight there. Another court-martial taking place today. This one though is stateside. Anti-war sentiments landed one soldier in hot water. That story after the break. (COMMERCIAL BREAK) KAGAN: Let's check some stories from across America. The FBI isn't quite sure what to make of a startling discovery here in Atlanta. It's a military rocket launcher. It was found near a rail transit station. Authorities say that it looks like a less powerful model used to train soldiers and would be incapable of destroying a train or an airliner.

7 In south Georgia, protesters rallied outside the gates of Fort Stewart support of a soldier facing court-martial today on a desertion charge. Staff Sergeant Kemelo Mahia (ph) refused to return to his unit in Iraq after a two-week furlough home, saying he would not fight for what he calls an oil-driven war. The Florida National Guardsman could face a year in prison. An anonymous is urging motorists to register their protests at the pump. It proclaims today, May 19th, as "stick it to 'em day," and it urges Americans not to buy a drop of gasoline. The government reporting yesterday the national average price for unleaded gas has broken the $2 a gallon barrier. One man's treasure is another man's trash, or so they thought, on one New York street. But this cello in the trash has a history. And thanks to its rescue it now has a future. Explanations ahead. (COMMERCIAL BREAK) (MARKET UPDATE) KAGAN: The number was perfect for Randy Johnson. He was all business last night in Atlanta. And that was perfect for the Arizona Diamondbacks. Not so good for the Atlanta Braves. We'll talk about a piece of baseball history ahead. (COMMERCIAL BREAK) KAGAN: All right, that's going to do it for me, Daryn Kagan. I'll see you tomorrow morning. For now, Wolf Blitzer takes over from Washington, D.C. TO ORDER A VIDEO OF THIS TRANSCRIPT, PLEASE CALL 800-CNN-NEWS OR USE OUR SECURE ONLINE ORDER FORM LOCATED AT